Changes

Federal government changes how it collects data on race

Americans will be able to check a box to identify as “Middle Eastern or North African” for the first time.

By OLIVIA ALAFRIZ

The federal government will change the way it collects demographic data related to race and ethnicity, laying the groundwork for a more accurate 2030 census, officials say.

The new standards combine race and ethnicity into one question. Previously, many government surveys — including the 2020 census — would ask if someone is of “Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin” and then ask respondents’ race, which often resulted in people who answered yes to the first question identifying as either “white” or “some other race.” In addition to combining those questions, the new standards allow people to self-identify as Middle Eastern or North African for the first time.

The changes are intended to create more consistent and accurate data, federal officials say.“These revisions will enhance our ability to compare information and data across federal agencies, and also to understand how well federal programs serve a diverse America,” Karin Orvis, the chief statistician of the United States, said in a release from Office of Management and Budget on Thursday.

OMB, which sets the standards for federal data collection, published the revisions to its standards for collecting data related to race and ethnicity after a yearslong process.

The federal government uses the demographic data it collects to implement and assess policy, including enforcing civil rights laws or ensuring equal employment opportunities. Most Americans fill out government surveys once a decade: the constitutionally-required census, which sets how House seats are apportioned and billions of federal dollars are distributed across the country.

Since Middle Eastern or North African people typically do not identify as white, previous federal demographic data, such as census data, has not accurately reflected the presence of these communities.

Thomas Wolf, a census expert at the liberal-leaning think tank Brennan Center for Justice, said that this is a key step toward a more “accurate, equitable, and legitimate count.”

“Groups that have long been undercounted — or completely invisible — in the census numbers will see their representation in the census numbers grow. And that will grant them the increased political power and fairer share of government spending that they deserve,” Wolf told POLITICO in a written statement.

Similar changes were proposed ahead of the 2020 census, but were dismissed under former President Donald Trump’s administration.